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ADVENTURE 16 THE BRITISH ISLES
Article by Klaus and Gale Waibel Photos by Matt
Pernick
The Bad Pennies in Edinburgh
DAY 1 Flight to Iceland
We are running around frantically trying to get ready for The Bad Pennies Adventure #16 to
Iceland and the British Isles. The storm that passed through the Washington area
last week blew down part of our bradford pear so we spend an entire weekend cutting down
the remainder. No sense going away and worrying if the rest of it will come crashing
down. Then Galeıs van is stolen while she is attending a teacher workshop.
Fortunately, itıs recovered the next day but we must run around getting a release from
the police, then recover it from the towing yard, and then take it to the dealer for
repairs. Again, weıre thankful we wonıt be worrying on the trip as to the whereabouts of
our car.
With all this we wonder what we have forgotten to pack. Since the departure is not
until 8:45 pm and we donıt have to be at BWI until 6:45 pm, Klaus goes to work. Its
cutting it a bit close, but he manages to leave a little bit early, get home at 5:15, and
shed the corporate work suit for more casual travel clothes. A friend of ours is taking us
to the airport (better than paying for 15 days in the long term parking lot!) and she also
arrives promptly at 5:15. We take a farewell picture at the front door and then its off to
fight commuter traffic to the airport. Fortunately there are no accidents this evening and
the traffic is relatively light so we arrive easily by 6:00 pm at BWI. The international
area is spacious and almost empty.
Matt Pernick, President of The Bad Pennies, is there to greet us, orient us, and give us
our packet which includes a travel alarm clock. We guess he must be worried the
volksmarchers arenıt going to get up on time each morning. As he will discover in
the next 15 days, we are a very punctual group. Check in at Icelandair goes very
smoothly and now we easily have 1-1/2 hours to kill before returning for boarding. We
decide to stroll through the airport and settle in at the new observation deck.
We promptly board at 8:00 pm but then thereıs some sort of delay with storing luggage and
we depart about 20 minutes late. The flight is 5hr and 25 min long. The in-flight
meal is Chicken Cordon Bleu and better than the typical airline meal, but we pass on the
complimentary wine and liqueur. Thereıs also the in-flight movie Primary Colors but we
opt for some sleep instead.
======================
DAY 2 Reykjavik, Iceland
This really feels like the same day. We may have arrived at 6:15 am local time, but our
Eastern Standard time bodies insist itıs only 2:15 am. Itıs a good thing weıre doing
our first walk today, because exposure to sunlight is one of the recommendations for time
zone adjustments. The airport is actually in Keflavik, and its a 30 mile bus ride to our
hotel in Reykjavik. A limited number of rooms are ready for check-in and we feel
fortunate to get one. That way we can take a shower and freshen up before our walk at 9:00
am. The room is small but spotless. Matt valiantly tries to talk the hotel
into giving our group breakfast, but they donıt budge from their policy. So
tomorrow its going to be 2 breakfasts one in the hotel and one on the plane.
At 9:00 am we assemble down in the lobby. Out of the 50 walkers, 43 have opted for a day
in Iceland. The remainder of our group will meet up with us at the airport tomorrow
morning. The Iceland IVV club is apparently run solely by one young woman. This is
to be the very first official IVV sanctioned walk in Iceland. We are issued our trail map
which luckily is fairly straightforward since there are no walk directions and the trail
is not marked. Are we spoiled by our US walks or what? The route (rated 1) follows
existing hike/bike paths in a 3/4 circuit of Reykjavik. Paths are fairly new in
Iceland as it is trying to capitalize on its attraction for outdoor activities. The
finish will be the downtown information center and we are told there will be bus tokens to
get us back to the hotel.
The Iceland club representative drives ahead and is there for us at the checkpoint and
also shows up at other places on the trail to offer us encouragement. The day is overcast but
dry. Occasionally some sunshine peeks through. Everything is clean and well
maintained. There are very few trees dotting the landscape. Nearer downtown we
can look out onto the Atlantic Ocean. The walk takes much longer than expected. The
consensus is that it is perhaps more like 15K. Nevertheless, we receive credit for 10K,
along with a medal, a change purse, a bottle of soap, and our token.
After the walk we explore Reykjavik on our own. In the town square we discover a
benefit event where a large salad has been created to try and get in the Guinness Book of
World Records. It turns out to be a good meal deal (judging by the other posted menu
prices we see, Iceland is an expensive place) and we enjoy unlimited salad, bread, and
lemon-flavored soda for only $3 each.
The day concludes with an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet at the hotel restaurant.
Featured are smoked salmon, fish paté, fish balls, fish stew, haddock, and a
variety of other baked, smoked, and pickled fish delicacies. There are potatoes but no
other vegetables except for a tiny salad bowl. Iceland probably imports all its
vegetables. Itıs all extremely good and we are not at all bashful about going back
for seconds.
=========================
DAY 3 Flight to England and Windsor Castle
Since our flight is to depart at 7:50 am, we must board our bus at 5:30 am, so breakfast
is served at 4:30 am and most of us then set our alarm for 3:30 am. Those of us
still trying to adjust to the 4-hour time difference sleep-walk through most of this.
The breakfast is also buffet style with "yogurt" (its different!), muesli, melon
and orange slices, prunes, bread, cold cuts, almond pastries, orange juice, and coffee.
This type of breakfast format speeds things up and weıre all dutifully assembled in
front of the hotel at 5:30 waiting for the bus. We take another 30-mile ride back to
the airport and then check-in. Wouldnıt you know it? Weıre in the slow line.
By the time weıre checked in everyone is long gone to the lounge. As promised we
also get breakfast on the plane. Weıll just pretend its lunch.
We leave 50O Iceland and arrive in 80O London at Heathrow Airport. A heat wave has engulfed England!
Going through customs and picking up our bags from the carousel goes smoothly.
At the exit gate our tour guides Ken and Dolores Wilson from Walking Adventures are
there to meet us and escort us to the double-decker bus we will be traveling on the rest
of this adventure. Originally there were only going to be 40 walkers, but the Bad
Pennies asked that the limit be raised to 50 and we indeed have 50 eager volksmarchers.
A short 30-minute ride brings us to the town of Windsor and Windsor Castle by 2:00 pm. Since we have to be
back on the bus by 5:00 pm we are offered the choice of walking a shorter distance and
taking in the castle or just walking the entire 11K. The 11K (rated 1+) starts at a
pub near the castle wall, follows the perimeter of the castle for a short while and then
takes us out of town past the Victoria Barracks (ominously guarded by troops with
automatic weapons) on Kings Road. On the outskirts we enter the Great Park where the
Queen sometimes goes out riding. From the Great Park we enter Deer Park (where we
actually see some herds of deer) and then return via the famous Long Walk which is a
3-mile avenue of trees back to Windsor Castle. It is a long hot stretch out and an
equally long hot stretch back so we are only too glad to stop at the pub serving as the 2nd checkpoint and
try the sparkling lemonade recommended to us. Intrigued by what one of the customers
is drinking we ask and are introduced to the Shandy half beer and half lemonade.
Suitably refreshed we finish the walk back in town, go shopping for postcards, and
then take a leisurely stroll along the Thames River back to the coach park and our bus.
The drive back to London takes about 90 minutes and soon we are at the Poste Fortehouse
Hotel in the Bloomsbury section of town. It looks to be an older hotel but the rooms
are still very nice. They are also very warm since air conditioning is not a feature
of English hotels. Management has been nice enough to install small portable cooling
units in the rooms, but some in the group report that their rooms are still hot.
Dinner is buffet style with a choice of salmon or chicken and pasta, potatoes, and
vegetables as accompaniment. The food is surprisingly good. So much for the
stereotype of poor English cooking.
After dinner we take a brief stroll around the neighborhood. Bloomsbury is in the
west end of London and mostly a quiet residential area.
DAY 4 (Sun, 9 Aug) – London
We start off the day with a great breakfast buffet consisting of melon
and watermelon slices, yogurt, cereal, croissants, ham, cheese,
hard-boiled eggs, juice, and coffee and tea. Suitably fortified the bus
then takes the walkers to the Westminster Tube (translation: subway)
station and turns us loose at 8:30 am on the 10K which are to finish no
later than 4:30 pm ending up at the Tower Bridge some distance
downstream on the Thames. A few of the walkers opt to do an additional
18K walk to fill in the 8 allotted hours. Most just take their time on
the 10K walk, stopping to watch the grenadiers practice at Waterloo
Barracks, to see Buckingham Palace, to watch the ceremony of the
changing of the Horse Guards outside the Admiralty Building, and to
catch the sights and sounds of Soho, Picadilly Circus, and other
neighborhoods. We fill some of the time by lunching with old military
friends in Leicester Square. He’s on special assignment in London with
the British Surgeon General’s Office while she is a contract nurse at
Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Germany. Hence, there is a lot of
cross-channel commuting.
After lunch we continue on our walk route. The directions for the walk
indicate some toilets near the St. Clement Danes church. We can see
they are underground and guess if they are typical they can not be very
nice. We are very much mistaken as we check them out. They are
decorated with floral tiles, the lighting is bright, there is hot and
cold running water, a scale for weighing yourself is available for 20p,
and music is being piped in. The place is immaculate. On one of the
pillars is a framed certificate stating that this was the Loo of the
Year 96/97!
During the walk we take a slight detour to cross the Thames and take a
closer look a the restored Shakespearean Globe Theater. Catching a play
there will have to wait for another day. One of the checkpoints is St.
Paul’s Cathedral. Bells are pealing loudly. We go inside and notice a
service in progress. Reluctantly we leave the cool interior and
continue on the final stretch past the Tower of London and across the
Tower Bridge. We have not allocated enough time for the tour, and
content ourselves with walking the outer perimeter of the Tower of
London.
The Tower Bridge is granite and steel and the bright blue paint on the
steel appears very fresh. The bridge looks like a castle with a
drawbridge and the mobs of tourists crossing it are a testament to its
popularity. From the end of the Tower Bridge our tour bus negotiates
the heavy traffic of London until we get out on the motorway and the it
is smooth driving to our evening’s destination – Marlborough – 1-1/2
hours west of London.
In Marlborough we unload our bags, receive our room assignments at the
Ivy House Hotel, and in the short span of 10 minutes are seated in their
restaurant eagerly awaiting dinner. It is obvious that everyone has
worked up an appetite from the day’s walking. We have also worked up
quite a thirst since it was in the 80’s today. The water pitcher is in
constant need of refilling by the waiter. This is a sit-down meal with
full service and we have our choice of Pork Loin, Seafood au Gratin or
Mediterranean Vegetarian Lasagna. Judging from the emptied plates, the
selections were well received. At the conclusion of the meal, a nice
touch is coffee and tea service in the courtyard.
DAY 5 (Mon, 10 Aug) – Stonehenge, Bath, and Hereford
Again we start off with a breakfast buffet which we are given to
understand is a full English breakfast. In addition to the cereal,
juice, fruit and toast there are hard-boiled eggs and cold cuts. The
restaurant must think that we really like bread because there are three
baskets of toast, croissants and rolls brought to our table.
Everyone is again punctual so that breakfast promptly starts at 7:00 am,
the bus is loaded at 7:45 am and we are underway at 8:00 am. A short
45-minute ride later, we are at the Sports Center in Amesbury. There
our group splits up into 3 groups – those wanting to walk the entire 17K
around Stonehenge, those wanting the “regular” 10K, and those opting for
a shorter distance. Since we all need to meet at the coach park, those
doing the 17K are taken by the bus to Stonehenge. We can see that
pictures enhance the height of the 22 foot stones. 
Nevertheless, it
still represents an amazing construction achievement. Accompanying us
on the walk are two members of the Amesbury Walkers Club. This makes
the walk much more enjoyable since we do not have to pay attention to
maps or markings and Derek and Keith give us a running narrative on
local sights and customs.
England has a system of public footpaths, national trust lands, and
access on some privately held lands. Most of the land is fenced in but
there are styles (ladders) and gates for negotiating the fences. In one
instance we cut diagonally across a sheep pasture, scattering the sheep
in front of us and of course watching where we place our feet. Since we
start at Stonehenge, our rest stop is back in town. Public toilets are
ubiquitous in Great Britain and Amesbury is no exception. Out of town
the footpath parallels the Avon River which Derek explains is the Celtic
word for river. There are three Avons and this one is not the same one
in Stratford-on-Avon. We sorely miss carrying a bottle of water since
most of the route is in open fields under blue skies and 80 degree
weather again. Many of the houses we pass have thatched roofs. The
thatch is tightly packed, covered with wire to discourage birds and
squirrels, and “signed” with a 3-D wire sculpture such as a bird,
squirrel, pheasant, or rabbit. This dying art is enjoying a renaissance
and we actually witness one roof being thatched.
Near the end we duck into a wonderfully shaded hidden path in the trees
that parallels the road for about a mile. It is doubtful that we would
have spotted it on our own, so well hidden it is, but Keith and Derek
know where it is. Then it is uphill through a long paddock and when we
crest the hill, Stonehenge is clearly visible in the distance. As we
come closer we see how many more buses, cars, and tourists there are
since we started our 17K some 3 hours ago. Rather than pay an entrance
fee, we view Stonehenge from outside the fence, although it makes
picture taking more difficult. After collecting our stamped record
books and purchasing some club patches, we get back on the bus and set
off for Bath.
As a bonus, our tour guides Ken and Dolores have arranged with the
Amesbury Walkers the opportunity for us to d a 2nd walk today in Bath.
We are again given several options – walk the entire 13K route, walk
10K, or walk a shorter distance. We again opt for the full route. This
time, however, we stop at a local supermarket and buy a 2 liter bottle
of lemonade.
The singular feature of Bath are the Georgian row houses, arranged in
circles or semi-circles. Viewers of PBS shows like Masterpiece Theatre
will immediately recognize them. Bath is at the bottom of a large
valley, so the walk includes some hill work. The other main attraction
is the Roman baths. An example of a hot springs bath is in the town
square. The King and Queen baths are by admission only, so we pass
those up.  The River
Avon winds
through town and a portion of the walk
is along the towpath. Several canal barges are moored along the bank.
Flower pots and bicycles are on the roofs of the barges. We cross the
scenic Pultney Bridge which as stores on it. When you walk across it
you can not tell you are on a bridge since there are shops on both sides
of the bridge. Another short stretch along the rive brings us back to
the start/finish at the coach park.
Everyone finishes on time and the coach is soon underway to our
evening’s lodgings in Hereford. We guess that the size of the group
(there are 50 of us) dictates where we stay and dine. Otherwise why
drive north of Cardiff (our next day’s walk) and then double back the
next day?
The setting for our stay is a golf resort. The rooms are very nice and
overlook the course. It is also very quiet – we are far from any roads
and traffic. After a brief check-in we head over to the country club
for dinner. Since we are such a large group we are divided into two
separate dining rooms. In between is the ubiquitous pub. A pint of
Murphy’s Ale to enjoy with dinner is in order. The meal selections are
roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, chicken fricassee, and mushroom
stroganoff (the vegetarian selection). Nobody at our table orders beef,
one orders vegetarian, two order the chicken, and one because of dietary
restrictions orders nothing. Fortunately, the family style vegetable
plate is heaped with broccoli, cauliflower, and two kinds of potatoes,
so no one goes hungry. The stroganoff is a small clump of mushrooms
covered in sauce and no noodles. We have been getting such great
dinners up to now that this one is a disappointment. After dinner there
is really no place to sightsee so we return to our room and retire
early.
DAY 6 (Tue, 11 Aug) – Cardiff and Caernafon
For breakfast we are split into two groups again, not so that we can be
in two rooms, but so we can go at two different serving times. The
reason for this is that we get a sit-down English breakfast – egg,
sausage, ham, blood sausage, and hash browns (just like McDonald’s). We
mostly pass up this fat and cholesterol laden selection and concentrate
on the cereal and toast.
Breakfast accomplished, we quickly load our bags on the bus and are on
the road to Cardiff. It is too bad we are doubling back because we
could use the extra hour. Trying to do one of the British Walking
Federation’s 13K permanent trails and having time for sightseeing all in
3-1/2 hours is proving impossible. Again we split up into 3 groups –
those opting for the full 13K, those using a modified 10K route, and
those doing the shorter 5K.
The 13K route takes us past Cardiff Castle, the adjacent Alexandra
gardens, the white stone neoclassical civic center buildings, the
Queen’s Arcade pedestrian shopping mall, and the inner harbor. Cardiff
is the capital of Wales and approximately 80% of the population of Wales
lives in or near here. This is evidenced by the hustle and bustle and
the number of people in the streets. Of course many of these could be
tourists like us drawn not only by the sights but the shopping bargains
to be found here. Again it is all we can do to finish and visit the
local market to purchase postcards, film, and a couple of snacks for the
long ride to Caernafon.
We have been told it is going to be a 5-hour ride but the bus overheats
several times so we stop for a unscheduled 15-minute stretches and with
the bathroom stops we don’t arrive until 7:30 pm. Once again we pass
where we are going to be the next day so it looks like we’ll spend time
doubling back. Quickly we check into the hotel and utilize the little
daylight that is left to view and take pictures of Caernafon Castle.
This is a delightful little walled town. It would have been a good
place for a 10K walk.
Dinner turns out to be excellent with a choice of mackerel, roast beef,
or vegetarian lasagna. For dessert the coffee and mandarin gateau
(French for cake) is a big hit. Several members of the group stop by
the kitchen after the meal to express their thanks to the chef, who
looks to be no more than in his early twenties.
DAY 7 (Wed, 12 Aug) Slate Mine and Ferry to Ireland
We need to get an early start today so we load our suitcases on the bus
before breakfast and we get only 30 min instead of the usual 45. The
members of the group are OK about this and punctual. As we pull out of the
parking lot, however, the underside of the bus apparently strikes the curb
and damages a fan and destroys the belt. A substitute coach is arranged for
and we are allowed an extra 30 min to roam around Caernafon. Since the
center of the town and the walled castle are only a quarter mile away, it
gives those a chance who did not visit the town the previous night.
The delay is not too long and 30 min later we are on the road in a
substitute coach doubling back to Portmandog to catch the narrow gauge
railway. Since extra time had been scheduled we make the 9:30 am departure
with 5 minutes to spare. The ride takes us on a causeway crossing the
estuary and then slowly begins the climb into the mountains to the slate
mines. Actually we disembark at a nearby town and our substitute coach meets
us there to drive us the final mile to the mine.
Since our group is so large, we split into two to ride the trains into the
mine. There is about a 10-min wait between trains so we think we wonıt have
to wait too long for the second train 
until we are told that it is the
policy to alternate trains for groups so that regular visitors standing in
line wonıt have too long a wait. That means a 20-min wait on top of the
initial 10-min wait. The slate mine tour itself is very interesting.
Working conditions back at the turn of the century were primitive. Life
expectancy of a miner was 37 years. At the end of the tour we are pressed
for time. No time to buy postcards, no time to buy lunch. Just barely
enough time for a photograph.
We seem to depart on time according to the master schedule. However, we are
also doubling back again. We also have to switch buses back to our repaired
coach. We are scheduled to sail on the ferry to Ireland at 3:15 and it
looks like the bus is aiming to arrive at 2:45. Nothing like cutting it
close. After the switching of buses, the driver takes the scenic route, but
we figure he knows the time constraints. Wrong! We do not get to the
outskirts of Holyhead (the ferry terminal) until 2:45 and immediately
encounter a massive traffic jam. Are all these cars really going to Ireland?
We crawl and crawl and crawl. From our seats up front on top we can overhear
snatches of phone calls from our tour leaders to the ferry and it does not
sound good.
We finally reach the ferry queue only to find that the 3:15 ferry has sailed
without us. It turns out that one of the earlier ferries that day had
developed problems and all the ferries are running about 5 hours behind.
Thus the ferry we can take is scheduled to leave at 8:00 pm. That is not as
bad as the 6:00 pm travelers who are told their ferry will not leave until
11:00 pm. To compensate us for our troubles the ferry company gives each of
us two 5-pound coupons good at the duty free shop or on the ferry.
The ferry is built like a catamaran and reaches a speed of 40 knots so the
crossing time is only 1 hr 40 min. There is no outside deck but we secure
some seats at the front to enjoy the setting sun. The interior of the ferry
reminds us a little of a cruise ship. There are lounges, a McDonaldıs, a
restaurant, and a game room.
Debarkation takes about 30 min and finally we are on the road to Dublin and
our hotel. Unfortunately, the bus driver gets lost and it takes and entire
hour instead of 30 min to reach our hotel. We are in a golf resort on a spit
of land northeast of Dublin. The lights of the city are spread out below us
in the distance. Fatigued, we return to our room and fall into bed. Thank
goodness we can get up an hour later the next morning
=======================================================================
DAY 8 (Thu, 13 Aug) Dublin
Fully refreshed we charge down to breakfast at 8:00 am. This one is a
sit-down affair and while we can start on our juice and cereal it takes a
while for the tea and coffee to be served. It would be nice if all the
breakfasts were of the buffet variety. Everyone can pick and choose what
they want. Moreover, the buffet takes less time. Weıre told weıre being
served an Irish breakfast, which from what we can see is just about
identical to the English one. Reginald Norton of the Emerald Isle Wanderers
joins the group at breakfast. He is to be our guide for Dublin today and the
Giantıs Causeway tomorrow.
In the morning light we can see how the Deer Park Hotel is located on a hill
on a peninsula overlooking Dublin and its harbor. It is drizzling but we
are optimistic about it clearing later. The ride downtown passes quickly and
we assemble at the start/finish for todayıs Volksmarch behind Trinity
College. Most of us opt to follow Reggie so that we can have the benefit of
his local color commentary. For the faster walkers in the group this will
be a much slower pace.
We start out going through St. Stephenıs Green (the obligatory WC stop) and
then through the shopping district to the famous Molly Malone sculpture (she
of mussels, cockles, etc. fame) irreverently renamed "The Tart With the
Cart."  From there we
continue crossing the River Liffey and then into Henry
St with all its outdoor markets. There we view another sculpture of a woman
with long hair reclining in what looks like a waterfall. Locals have also
renamed this work of art as "The floozy in the jacuzzi." 
The last bit of
irreverent naming is another sculpture of three ladies sitting down with
shopping backs retitled "The hag with the bag." Recrossing the pedestrian
only Haı Penny Bridge we continue on to the grounds of Dublin Castle. From
here the guided portion of the walk ends. Reginald excuses himself from our
group and we split up in different directions. Rather than tackle a
"rougher" section of Dublin, we decide to cover our required distance by
retracing the route and looking into shops at a more leisurely pace. We have
bought ourselves some extra time by not going back to the hotel in the
afternoon and then having to return for the eveningıs entertainment at an
authentic Irish pub (where Reginald will meet the group again).
For lunch we return to the St. Stephenıs Green mall overlooking the green.
It is like a greenhouse on the top floor and we get a great window seat. The
food is really excellent ‹ soup, bread, smoked mackerel, several salads, and
plum cake for dessert. It is a leisurely lunch and we spend part of the
1-1/2 hours here writing postcards. A jazz trio provides musical
entertainment while we write. After lunch we resume our stroll through
Dublin finally ending up at Mother Redcaps ‹ our Irish pub. The pub dates
from 1760 and Mother Redcaps was apparently the Irish "Fagan" (similar to
Oliver Twistıs Fagan) and eventually hung for her crimes.
The entertainment that Reginald has laid on for us is excellent. Thereıs a
quartet consisting of guitar violin, accordion, and flute (sometimes
doubling as a 2nd accordion), four young girls and a young boy performing
traditional Irish dancing like that seen on Riverdance, and woman singer. We
are also served a meal of traditional Irish stew. The entertainment is
excellent, the food at the other end of the scale. We are happy we had such
a great lunch earlier. Finally, at 10:00 pm we pile back on the bus for the
trip back to the hotel.
=======================================================================
DAY 9 (Fri, 14 Aug) Giantıs Causeway
This morning our routine is a little different ‹ load the luggage on the bus
and then eat breakfast. Again it is a sit-down affair so it takes longer. If
they could just bring out the coffee and tea first, we could be enjoying a
hot beverage during our wait. Itıs the Irish breakfast.
The drive out of town should be easy but in taking the back way we come to a
train underpass which has a posted clearance of 13.6 meters. Thatıs the
exact height of our bus so we are forced to back up and use another route
out of town.
The transition from Ireland to Northern Ireland is imperceptible. There is
no border crossing; the houses, roads and countryside look the same. We make
a grocery stop in Newry. Inside the supermarket are many familiar American
products. In fact if you were to wakeup in on of these supermarkets you
would be hard pressed to figure out you were not in the U.S. The purchases
are conveniently paid for with a Visa card. Nice to know it is accepted
worldwide.
At noon we arrive at Northern Irelandıs #1 tourist attraction ‹ The Giantıs
Causeway ‹ which consist of some 37,000 basalt, mostly hexagonal columns up
to 400 feet high. It reminds us of Devilıs Tower, Wyoming and Devilıs
Postpile National Monument, California. A steep 1/2 km road leads from the
visitorıs center down to the base of the cliffs. A shuttle bus runs
continuously for those wanting to avoid the hike. It is very interesting
scrambling over the geometrically shaped blocks. Erosion has created varying
heights. In the distance we can see a footpath that takes you back up the
cliffs. This would be a great place to hold the entire 10K walk.
Back at the visitor center we regroup with Reginald and set out on the walk
to Portrush. The first couple of miles are a bit hazardous since we have to
walk on the road facing traffic and there is no berm. When we get to the
first town of Bushmills we have sidewalk which lasts the remainder of the
walk. In town we see a directional sign which says "Portrush 7m" so we
already know that it is going to be much more than 10K. The wind is very
brisk but the sun is shining and we enjoy magnificent views of the North
Antrim coast. In the distance we can see the visitor center where we
started. In the other direction we can see our approximate halfway point ‹
Dunluce Castle. We eventually pass the castle and being pressed for time we
do not detour to view it. Now in the distance we see Portrush and the wide
sandy beach. Again there is no spare time to find the path down to the beach
and stroll in the sand. We eventually reach the finish at the Portrush
Visitorıs Center. Conservatively we estimated having walked 15K. Later it
is stated that we did 14K. Apparently Reginald missed the very first turn.
Most of us donıt really care just as long as we get credit for the distance.
The sunshine, the blue water, the white clouds, the gray cliffs, the
shrieking gulls have made this a wonderful walk.
We hop on the bus for the 1 hour ride back to Belfast and our overnight stay
at another Forte Posthouse hotel.
DAY 10 (Sat, 15 Aug) Edinburgh
This morningıs first leg is a very short one to the ferry dock. The
second leg is also short since the crossing into Scotland is quick. Breakfast
is a 7-item affair at Rudiıs dinner on the ferry. We can choose from
tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage, bacon, ham, beans, toast and cereal. So you
can have 7 tomatoes or 1 of each just so long they add up to 7.
In Scotland the leg to Edinburgh is much longer. The weather is great and
the scenery wonderful so that the hours pass relatively quickly. This
eveningıs stay is at the Hilton in Livingston, a suburb of Edinburgh. We
arrive at the early hour of 3:30. This gives everyone some time to unwind,
shop, do laundry, etc. At 5:00 we reboard our bus for the ride into
Edinburgh and dinner at a floating restaurant (i.e. a boat docked at the
harbor). The atmosphere is unique and the food delicious but weıre a bit
rushed since need to be off to Edinburgh castle and the Tattoo which starts
promptly at 7:30.
With all the traffic in town and the close-in bus parking now filled, we end up
a bit further out. Walking uphill to the castle we have to negotiate the
swarm of pedestrians out on the town. We miss the opening 10-minute
sequence but what will follow is another hour and forty minutes of pageantry.
There are the massed bagpipers, the Coldstream Guards Band, the Irish Lancers
Band, the Russian Navy Band and dancers, the Fiji Military Band, Scottish
dancers, and Irish dancers. Each perform singly, then in various
combinations, and finally all massed together for the finale. 9,000
spectators enthusiastically clap their approval.
=============================================
DAY 11 (Sun, 16 Aug) Edinburgh to Harrogate
The Hilton breakfast is buffet style our favorite. Everyone is able to
choose what they want and it is much quicker. We are prompt and the bus
leaves on time at 8:00 am for the walk in Edinburgh. We all pose for a
group picture in front of the information center and then weıre on the trail at
9:15.
There are those who charge ahead, those who "turtle" along, and those
like us who alternate speeding up with stops in between to take pictures. Walking
in European cities always exposes you to history and culture. One of the
checkpoints is a house where Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson once
resided. Another checkpoint is the Lord Admiral Nelson monument atop a
steep hill. The route passes Holyrood Palace, the official residence of
the Queen when she stays in Edinburgh.
The last stretch is The Royal Mile. This street changes names several
times and links Holyrood Palace with Edinburgh Castle. In Wheaton,
Maryland we have eaten at The Royal Mile Pub without realizing the significance
of this name. The castle courtyard where last nightıs tattoo took place
is now crawling with tourists. Towards the end of the walk we stop at a
food court of a modern underground shopping mall and lunch on turkey sandwiches.
Again there hasnıt been that much time to do the complete walk and browse.
The bus pulls up promptly at 1:00 PM and weıre on our way again. This
has been our northernmost point. The rest of the trip will basically be
south back towards London.
Ken and Dolores, our tour leaders, have again arranged for a second walk on the
same day. This again gets the average up to a walk per day since a couple
of days are travel only. For the second walk we are doing Hadrianıs Wall
built by the Romans in 120 AD to keep the "barbarians" out of
England. Originally it was 75 miles long running east to west. Our
approach takes us through some pretty hilly countryside which will be obvious
when we do the walk.
The skies are overcast as we start and pretty soon we are in some showers with a
fierce blowing wind. This is more of how we imagined the atmosphere of the
walks would be. We do a steep uphill climb passing one of the old forts
(extra charge to get in here!) and then we are literally on the wall. For
a fairly long stretch it is possible to walk directly on the wall. Later
on there are signs advising us not climb the walls so they will not deteriorate.
There are some significant hill climbs on the walk and the views are worth
it.
We are running a bit behind schedule so Ken allows us only an hour and fifteen
minutes of walking. At our pace we figure that allows us about 6K of
walking. So we really donıt go out too far before turning around and
retracing our steps. But even that abbreviated distance has been worth the
extra stop.
Continuing our dayıs journey for another two hours we arrive in Harrogate
around 7:00 PM. Our stay is at an old regal hotel with lots of atmosphere.
We quickly check in and spend a few moments before dinner walking around
town. Flower-filled parks and street baskets are everywhere. Many
signs proclaim where we are walking is part of the Flower Trail. Thereıs
an elegant bathhouse fed by mineral springs. There are in fact some 38
different springs each with a different composition of minerals so that this
area is actually unique in the world.
Dinner is in a very formal dining room with high sculpted ceilings. The
quality of the dinners is commensurate with this ambience. We can always
claim that walking off so many calories entitles us to those large and rich
portions.
DAY 12 (Mon, 17 Aug) York
While the sky is overcast the early morning clouds should burn off. We
arrive in York in high spirits. This walled city has an inner wall, in
ruins, that dates from Roman times and an outer wall that dates from
Medieval Times. The outer wall is in three sections with no wall where
swampland existed. At one time it had a castle, but all that is left is
Clifford tower with its 55 steps to the top. Of course we climb up.
After
walking by the government buildings the trail takes us down to the
River Ouse which flows through town. There are lots of flowers everywhere
-
in baskets, in parks, in yards.
Soon we are on the wall that meanders around the city. It is a great walk
and not too crowded since we are early. An elderly gentleman stops to give
us an impromptu history lesson and points out a Roman ice house that we
would surely have missed.
We leave the wall and walk into town. Soon we are in the Shambles which is
famous for its shopping boutiques. The stores have a variety of items,
from
very expensive china to affordable souvenirs. We catch up with several
walkers in this area, obviously slowed down by the effective window displays
and shop names.
The street leads us to the York Minster. This was built between 1220 and
1470 and is the largest Catholic cathedral in Britain. The Gothic
architecture is breathtaking. The round widow catches the light through a
floret of glass that lightens the heaviness of the stone architecture. By
now the crowds have increased and the weather has improved. Sunshine makes
the city sparkle and the shopkeepers tell us that it has been a terrible
season revenue wise because of rainy and cold weather. This is the best
weather they have had all summer.
Our next stop is St. Williams College. Here the architecture looks like
Shakespeareıs England with brown and white board houses and flower baskets.
We stop in the tavern and step into the shade of the enclosed courtyard.
Here the noise of the street is muted and people are enjoying a relaxing
lunch. We end up having lunch several blocks away at a cafeteria and then
continue along the river to finish the walk.
The bus takes the group to the small and quiet town of Leamington Spa where
we are spending two nights at the Regent Hotel < another "grande
dame" of
English hotels. It seems that every town boasts parks and gardens so we
take a leisurely stroll through one of the parks before dinner.
=========================================
DAY 13 (Mon, 17 Aug) Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick
Breakfast is a much more relaxed meal this morning because we do not have to
load our bags on the bus. This is one of two times when we stay at the
same hotel two nights in a row. It also presents a good opportunity to do
some laundry since the clothes will have time to properly dry. This is
another buffet style breakfast which also makes it more relaxing. Instead
of having all-or-nothing in terms of an English breakfast, we find out it is
possible to order just scrambled eggs. The coffee and tea service is also
excellent. Toast is brought out in racks holding six slices at a time.
The slices are really huge. The final touch of elegance is that
honey and jam come in individual serving size jars. None of those plastic
peel away containers found in Dennyıs.
This morningıs walk is in Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare country. The
first part of the walk parallels one of the canals. We watch the operation
of one of the locks as a barge is lifted to a higher level. Itıs
essentially a do-it-yourself operation. From one of the passengers we
learn that the barge is taking two weeks to complete a 190-mile loop through the
rivers and canals. We follow the canal to where it joins the River Avon.
The name is a bit redundant since Avon means river. Adjacent to the
Avon is a big municipal park at the edge of which stands The Royal Shakespeare
Playhouse. Several members of our group are intending to catch a play
either in the afternoon or this evening.
After winding our way through the quaint streets and lanes we pass through
Trinity Church where Shakespeareıs tomb is located. Admission to the
church is free but there is a fee to enter that part of the church where the
tomb is located so we pass. We then pick up a series of footpaths which
eventually lead us to Ann Hathawayıs cottage.  Again there is an admission
fee so we just look at it and the garden from the street. Another series
of footpaths takes us back into town and the walk winds through several of the
streets which are now packed with people in contrast to when we started.
The afternoon walk is at Warwick which is famous for its castle. Since
admission is provided by Walking Adventures we spend the first hour exploring
the castle. Narrow spiral staircases lead up the turret to the ramparts.
We also tour some of the rooms inside the castle though not all since the
lines are pretty long. Within the keep is also an older fortification
dating back to 1040 AD.
Then we start the walk. Since weıre at the castle instead of the normal
start/finish we need to start in the middle of the instructions. This
proves to be confusing and at least 5 minutes are spent trying to figure out
where to go. Later on we are again stymied by the instructions. There
seem to be too many right turns and weıre not sure about the definition of gate
and patch. As a result we walk some extra Ks. Instead of walking in
town we have a long trek into the countryside and back. At least one
segment which parallels a canal is interesting. The town itself is not
much to look at. When we finish there is general consensus that the walk
directions need some work. Many of the walkers found one or more of the
directions confusing.
The return to the hotel is a short drive although there is a lot of rush hour
traffic. Another great evening meal awaits us complete with desserts from
the dessert trolley.
DAY 14 (Wed, 19 Aug) The Cotswolds and Oxford
Can this already be the last walking day of our trip? It seems like only
yesterday that we started our walk at Windsor Castle.
On our way to Oxford we make a short stop at Bourton-on-the-Water ("Venice
of the Cotswolds"). This town is in the geographical area known as
the
Cotswolds. The Cotswolds are part of a rolling upland in the southwestern
part of England, mainly in Gloucestershire. The area is famous for its
small villages, rolling hills, and relative isolation, and Cotswold stone
(made of microscopic sea creatures) used to construct the stone houses.
Many of the villages and homes date from Saxon times.
The bus parks in a bus lot and we walk into town on a shaded lane. Since
we
are here so early, we have the town to ourselves and walk along the river.
There is great anticipation about arriving in Oxford. From another bus lot
on the outskirts of the city we walk a very short distance along the road
and then down to the Thames River and along a bike path that follows the
river into the city. This part of Oxford is bucolic with pastures and
meadows,  along with a series of boat houses where Oxford students practice
their punting  or people can rent a boat for the day.
We come up from the river to a busy city street. The statues added to the
facade of the brick building across the road interest us since we had never
seen anything quite like this before. The closer we get to the downtown
area, the more congested things get. The sheer volume of traffic make
crossing the street a challenge, even when you have the light.
Oxford is a conglomeration of 40 different colleges and halls, each with an
admission charge. Many of the buildings were constructed using the warm
honey colored Cotswold stone.
Klaus stops to talk with one guide and learns that some of the scenes from
the Inspector Morse series on Masterpiece Theater were filmed at Queenıs
College. We walk through the gardens of Queenıs College and look out on
the
buildings and the adjacent fields where crops are grown.
We continue to follow the route past numerous colleges and government
buildings with elaborate architectural details. For example, the bridge
over New Castle Lane replicates the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Further
down
the street the finials for pillars are the busts of famous people.
The day is so beautiful that we decide to pay the entrance fee and climb the
narrow stairs to the top of the Christ Church. This proves to be quite
challenging, especially for Gale who does not like heights. There is
exactly one spiraling staircase both up and down. Whenever you meet
someone going the other way, which is several times, someone has to squeeze
along the edge. There are ropes to hold on to which provide a sense of
security. Once we get to the top, there is not much more room, but the
view
is worth it. The gargoyles are filled with money that people have tossed
trying to get the coins in the depression. With our "birds-eye"
view we can
identify where we have walked and see more of the universities we did not
tour. We also have close-up views of the architectural details of the
Christ Church facade.
We are back at the Ivy House bed and breakfast in Marlborough where we
stayed earlier in the trip. This time our room is on the second floor and
faces the back of the building which is insulated from the traffic on the
main street. Dinner is great. Matt Pernick, president of the Bad
Pennies,
Dan and Emily Siwula who live in Michigan and Canada, Jane and John Miles
from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Fay Foote and Marshall Hansen from
Maryland keep the conversation flowing.
==========================================================
DAY 15 (Thu, 20 Aug) Flight to Baltimore
After breakfast a relatively short bus ride brought us back to Heathrow
Airport for our departing flight. Naturally we were in the check-in line
that moved the slowest but there was more than adequate time to make the
flight.
Our return also made stop/change of planes in Iceland. The terminal in
Keflavik has no passenger lounges so everyone is reduced to standing or
sitting on the floor in the hallway leading to the gates. The flight back
was uneventful and with the time zone changes we arrived early evening in
Baltimore.
Would we take another trip with The Bad Pennies and Walking Adventures
International? You bet! It really was a tremendous trip in all
aspects.
Sure there were one or two glitches like the bus breaking down. But there
was a pretty quick and dramatic response < we got an almost brand new
replacement bus. The weather was sunny and downright balmy, very little of
that famous drizzle you hear about. We regretted not having packed shorts.
The accommodations were first class and many of the places possessed a real
"atmosphere" in contrast to the sameness of many motel chains.
The food
(with one glaring exception) was outstanding and dispelled any
misperceptions we may have had about English meals. The dessert trolleys
were to die for! The walks were varied, interesting, and historic and kept
us busy walking off all the calories. And finally, we got to know some
really nice volksmarchers.
|
"you hold an event and we turn up"
